


Warning Signs

by Rakviel (Sarillion)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Enemies to less enemies more frenemies slightly boyfrienemies?????, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Kylo's just mind reading, M/M, Mind Reading, Mitaka just wants to go home, Phasma's had enough honestly, This is terrible, i don't know this is a mess, wreck the base to get your crush's attention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:17:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6379561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarillion/pseuds/Rakviel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hux's patience rarely wears as thin as it does with Kylo Ren. Add in some inconspicuous headaches and a Kylo's convenient knowledge of Hux's opinions of him, and you've got yourself the First Order schoolyard crush that no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warning Signs

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic ever, jesus, this is a train wreck.  
> Also unbeta'd, so you know, apologies for spelling errors and grammar errors typical for someone writing in their second language.

Hux cared for the people aboard the Starkiller. Not in any sort of unprompted way, not out of any need to hand out affection. He cared much in the same way he did everything else. Tactically. Any person in their right mind needed to know that their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Any sane person would express doubt if they weren’t reassured that they were, in fact, doing their job. Hux didn’t mind handing out the occasional helping hand or recognition. Sometimes it was as easy as commending someone’s efficiency or resilience. Other times it felt like praising someone for the mere act of getting out of bed. With Kylo Ren, it felt more like the latter.

The general felt an increasing need to throw his feet on the table and tell the general population of Starkiller Base to suck it. The first thing to arrive at his desk that morning had been a damage report from Kylo’s latest endeavours in the rooms of the ship that the knight knew contained the most vital controls and/or documents. He didn’t seem to regard nor disregard which room held what. None of them held anything by the time he was done. Mitaka stood before Hux with the papers that he needed to sign for Kylo’s expenses. The lieutenant struggled to hold the same amount of composure as his general, and Hux disregarded the slight waver in Mitaka’s pose when he turned his heel. Mitaka wasn’t anything if not loyal, which earned him the right to the occasional slip-up. The small ones. Hux thought so, at least. When Mitaka left the room, it fell into the comfortable silence that Hux worked best in. It was a shame, really, that Ren was forcing him to leave it for some petty anger issues. Something itched at Hux’s mind, though the general disregarded it as he stood up and left the room. 

Kylo had his saber raised above his head in some sort of desperate attempt at burying it, as far as humanly and non-humanly possible, into the iron wall in front of him. Hux regarded the state of the meeting room. He pursed his lips. The leather chairs had been torn through with the grace and care of a chainsaw. Plush fell out like innards. The table had some impressive cracks here and there, though they didn't compare with the fact that the entirety of it had somehow been cut in half. Hux had to move his gaze to the still panting knight at that. The table was fairly long. The idea of Kylo tediously making his way back and forth in order to properly divide the entirety of it almost made Hux huff amusedly. He didn't. Instead, he turned his whole body towards the knight of Ren, the taller man still in his fighting stance. The saber was humming and glowing furiously, vibrating with the same intensity as the owner.  
"Are you paying for this, or do I put it on your tab?" Hux cocked a brow, challenging the knight to continue his charade. Kylo had, at some point, decided against it. The saber flickered off, and Ren was left slightly more vulnerable, though still not human. Hux rarely ever saw anything human in him. The silence wasn't near as comfortable as the one in his own room, and certainly not peaceful in any sense of the word. Hux kept quiet, though, letting Kylo simmer down into a lukewarm sort of anger, rather than the burning rage that'd resulted in the funeral of a perfectly good meeting room. Kylo seemed to clench and unclench his unoccupied fist, trying to determine whether he was still upset. Though the mask his all emotion, Kylo lifted his head to look at Hux. Like a child trying to determine their reaction based on what the adults were doing. Hux took this as a cue to talk.  
"We should invest in a playpen for you, it'd cost less than the damages." Though this time, the expenses weren't too high. Chairs and tables were replaced far easier than entire modules.  
"Don't patronize me." Ren's voice changer almost went pure static with the hiss. Hux wasn't impressed. He backed off toward the door, or what was left of it, before turning away.  
"Don't ruin my ship, then," He replied, the same venom in his voice that Kylo must've used beneath his mask. Kylo didn't continue his tantrum after that. 

Though Kylo's little shows managed to wring out a couple swears from Hux every once in a while, the general had to admit that Ren was a valuable asset. That the force allowed him to aquire information in ways that the first order couldn't on its own. That he was a skilled fighter, if not a bit rough-edged. Something akin to respect, though not quite, hid under Hux's skin every once in a while, threatening to slip through his lips in an occasional praise. It never happened, which maybe it should've. At least then Hux would've treated Hux like the rest of Starkiller base. Not as a separate entity, one he didn't consciously trifled with, and subconciously didn't. 

Hux hadn't really regarded the subtle and occasional presses against his temple as anything other than stress. As Phasma stood beside him on the bridge, Hux couldn't help but noticed the sudden consistency of it. Phasma made a quick note of who were in their general vicinity, before turning her masked head toward Hux. The general couldn't help but note the fact that he didn't get a fancy helmet. He didn't get the pre-packaged poker face. It wasn't quite fair, really. Not that he needed it.  
"I didn't think you were the type to settle for a temporary solution, general." Phasma caught him off-guard. Hux's face turned stiff. Phasma's words implied that Hux was somehow overlooking something important. That he wasn't pushing something under the rug. Which he wasn't. His gaze slipped away from Phasma, betraying him.  
"I don't know what you're implying. I'm fairly certain I don't like it."  
"Ren. You know just as well as I that he's getting as much out of all this damage as we are. Nothing." Hux crossed his arms.  
"He's getting something out of it, alright."  
"What?"  
"Ask him. I'm not a Ren whisperer." Phasma seemed to roll her eyes, though Hux had the good grace of pretending he didn't notice. He owed her as much, since she allowed him to let down his guard slightly around her without the repercussions or nagging.  
"He's obviously a ball of issues. It'd be easier to try and solve some of them instead of just letting him ruin half the base in friendly fire." Hux sighed, rubbing his index over his temple.  
"If It's just giving him some space, sure, I'm all for it. But my job is to make sure he, and everyone else, is doing their job. I'm not about to baby a grown man." The pressure on Hux's head grew more intense, and something in his mind told him it wasn't without reason. For a moment, Hux looked around, regarding the staff like Phasma had. After a few taps of his boot, Hux called for the nearest trooper.  
"Make sure Kylo Ren isn't... up to something." Hux didn't know where the sudden suspicion arose from, but he wasn't a man to ignore his own intuition. 

Hux had been right, unfortunately. For the second time in a row, Kylo was wreaking havoc like he owned the place (Hux had to reluctantly point out that he didn't either.), and causing everyone a headache. This time, Hux might've escalated the situation, or he might've deescalated it. He couldn't quite tell. Nonetheless, an iron grip was all that held the poor Stormtrooper, the one Hux had sent earlier, hovering in the air. Kylo must've been on the verge of another tantrum when the trooper arrived, thus throwing the poor kid into the crossfire. Phasma had, in fact, pointed out how it was a kid. Hux didn't appreciate the 'fun fact'. A few people had crowded around Kylo, though they tried to stay subtle by staying along the walls or holding small conversations that held no meaning. It didn't work. It seemed to be working Kylo up further. Hux stepped forward, watching Kylo's stance grow more aggressive as he did.  
"Put her down, Ren." Kylo's mask didn't betray any emotion, but he still put the trooper down. They retreated immediately, and Phasma let them abandon the premises. She was busy observing the two of them, anyway. Hux felt her gaze. Despite what she'd said earlier that day, she didn't do anything to talk to Ren. Instead, she studied the knight, silent and calculating.  
"I don't want any more casualties, Kylo," Hux said, and the other man didn't seem to spend much time thinking before he turned and stomped down the hall. Hux gave Phasma a look, before walking the opposite way, leaving her to make sure Kylo was retreating, not advancing. 

Now, as mentioned before, Hux cared for the people aboard the Starkiller. Kylo Ren was not, in any way, excluded from this. Not intentionally, anyway. So, after something like a judging face from Phasma (Hux couldn't for the life of him understand how she managed to stare from under her mask), he handed the rest of his daily tasks to the first capable individual he found, before setting his course for Kylo's quarters. Frankly, he'd never been in that area of the base, as Kylo had been situated intentionally a ways off from anyone he could hurt. It didn't work as well as they might've thought, though Hux liked to believe that more damage would be done if Kylo had been placed anywhere near the normal staff quarters. For an example, Hux hadn't died in his sleep yet, and that was something. 

Hux half expected the hallway leading to Ren to be shrouded in darkness and a thick, dramatic and overall annoyingly enigmatic atmosphere. Would Ren really be willing to spend his own credits on an old-fashioned smoke machine? Hux didn't think he would, but then again, he didn't see it as beyond him. When he arrived at Kylo's door, however, the place seemed surprisingly non-hellish. Hux raised his fist, about to knock on the door, but stopped himself for half a second. He realized, now, that somehow Kylo's... dramatic atmosphere had gotten to Hux in a way that made him feel like knocking was mundane. Was there some ritual to entering Kylo's quarters? Did he just knock? Was there a secret knock? If so, who knew about the knock? Hux turned. Did Snoke know about the secret knock? You've got to be kidding me right now. Hux rubbed a hand against his face, trying to somehow massage away the overwhelming feeling of being so many levels of done with the concept of Kylo Ren. He almost felt like pacing, which he restrained from, because that would've been the end of his already dangling patience. Taking a deep breath, Hux was just about to walk off, when the doors to Ren's quarters opened behind him. Hux turned, his mask slipping figuratively at the sight of Kylo's literal one removed. 

Though Kylo Ren was a predecessor of Darth Vader, sure, and whatever Hux had imagined Kylo Ren to look like, it'd been something akin to Darth Vader. Though Hux didn't know who they were, he immediately felt like Kylo had rather taken from his parents instead. Every pretense to Kylo Ren's inhumanity was wiped away by a face that seemed a bit too young. Was he younger than Hux? Somewhere in the back of his mind, a joke about Kylo's immaturity lingered. He didn't have the concentration to acknowledge it, however. Kylo was... young. Young, and human, and everything it seemed he'd tried to conceal beneath his mask. Hux didn't let his own mind delve deeper into what he thought about the knight's appearance. He evaluated his words carefully. He was going to tell Kylo something about how the damages of their property were really starting to tear at their budget, or something shitty that alluded to this being not a lecture. Kylo, however, didn't give him the time to say anything.  
"There is no secret knock, for future reference." Hux stared at him for a second and a half, gears rotating slowly before clicking into place.  
The bastard. A ghost of a smirk brushed over Kylo's features, and Hux had to count to ten. Which he was now aware that Kylo heard.  
"How long?" Kylo's eyes hit the floor at that, and if Hux hadn't known better he would've seen something like guilt. The logic in him said that this was rather Kylo actually trying to recall how long he'd been prying at Hux's mind.

"I'm not sure I can respond." Of course he couldn't. The fabric of Hux's entire being was telling him that he should let go of the act, to just punch Kylo square in the face and be done with it. He knew Kylo knew that. Hux placed a hand on Kylo's shoulder, pushing him back into his own room. Kylo was uncharacteristically pliant. He let Hux enter, and the door closed behind him not too long afterwards.  
"Who gave you the right to pry at my mind, Ren?" Kylo honest to god shrugged, a slight tug at his shoulders that Hux wouldn't even have noticed if it weren't for his eyes being glued to Kylo. Ren turned again, walking further into his room. The room was simplistic, Hux assumed it had something to do with his training or whatever, something dumb about only the bare necessities and all that. Hux loathed it. Though the force was useful, tactically (as always) speaking, he loathed the religious mentality that went with it. Then again, maybe he was cynical. His composure was failing, but despite the strain in his voice, Hux was still an eerie amount of calm. "Is there a reason for your espionage?" Kylo raised his head at that, staring down at Hux despite the fact that their heights weren't that far off. Kylo managed to make the distance seem farther.  
"When you get past your occasional rants about my 'anger issues', your mind is an interesting place, _General_." Hux duly noted that every insult from his side had been picked up by Ren. He didn't regret any of them. He didn't realize that Kylo picked up on something else, either. "I'm a valuable asset, aren't I?" Hux bit the inside of his cheek. Really, now.

"Ren, if you felt the need to invade my privacy for the sake of a compliment, you could've asked." The taller man almost huffed at that, turning his head and shaking it.  
"That wasn't my point." Hux recognized the tone of an erratic lie, especially now that Kylo's voice was undisguised. Though it might not've been his point, Kylo was starved of affection, wasn't he?  
"Is that it, Ren? Did you feel it unbecoming to ask for some attention?" Kylo was not looking happy with the situation at hand, and Hux felt some sort of thrill at the feeling of having a shred of control, control that he'd taken straight from Kylo. The knight didn't seem to agree.  
"If I were you, general, I'd suggest toning it down a little." Hux agreed, in some part. Had he not been riding a slight high at the thought of knocking Kylo down a couple of pegs, combined with the irritation at his breached privacy, he would've agreed. He would have collected himself, and marched out with nothing more than a 'don't let it happen again'. Enough to appease Phasma slightly, maybe. But the fact is he didn't feel like doing just that. He went quiet though, studying Kylo's increasingly agitated face with an interest. This was honestly the first time he'd seen his face. It wasn't bad. Bad didn't come close. Rather...

Kylo picked up on it. The moment Hux had thought it, he knew Kylo noticed. And he regretted it. So badly. Because Kylo's wide eyes and the sudden tint of colour in his face only strengthened Hux's sudden opinion of him, and so it turned into some sort of endless circle of _should not have done that._ Kylo coughed. Audibly. Purposefully. That's when the former idea about marching off popped back into Hux's head. So he did it. He could've sworn he saw something like disappointment in Kylo's look when he read that thought, though he didn't move, out of pride or embarrassment or something in between. The door opened easily from the inside, of course, and Hux stopped briefly in the opening of it.  
"Do I still have an interesting mind, Ren?" Kylo swallowed inaudibly, and so Hux didn't noticed the brief wave of yes covering the younger man's features.

The prickling at Hux's mind didn't stop. And Hux found that odd. Intriguing. Because by now he'd realized that too was Kylo. And somehow Kylo hadn't been put off by the thought of being found attractive by a superior. Hux felt something like a sharp sting at that, which revealed that Kylo was very aware of his own intrusion. He also had the nerve to correct Hux on his own thoughts. Hux almost saw that as a challenge. Almost? Scratch that. Hux leant back in his chair, now that he was comfortably seated in his own office again. He evaluated Kylo's seemingly never-ending presence in his mind. He also thought about the fact that it was intentional. Kylo had to spend some effort to be so _on top of_ what Hux had been thinking. Hux rested his elbow against the desk, his chin leaning on his palm. He was still pissed at Kylo and his third-grader level of stalking for the sake of a crush. The moment Hux expressed that, the pressure on his mind stopped completely. Radio silence filled his head instead of what he now realized had been similar to a hum. It returned not long after, and Hux swore he could feel the stress in Kylo's own head as he returned to listening to Hux. It was more like a one-way phone call now, and Hux assumed any phone call with Kylo Ren would've been one-sided anyway.  
_Did you honestly imply I have anything like a **crush**?_ Hux stilled. Two-way. Two-way phone call. Alright. Hux stared into the air for a bit.  
"I did, yes. I think I did."  
_I don't recall being the one studying your face down to a T._  
"I can't read minds, Kylo. How would I know if you were?" Radio silence. Hux wondered if this was Kylo trying to compose himself. Uncharacteristic. Or maybe this was more like Kylo, and the Knight of Ren he'd grown so accustomed to was merely a badly designed costume.  
_Not badly designed._ Hux hadn't noticed Ren's quick return.  
"Debatable." Kylo didn't respond, but Hux could feel the agitation. It amused him.  
_So maybe my memory was a little hazy._ The general didn't pick up on what Kylo meant until he rewinded the conversation. Oh. Hux's smile wasn't quite just a ghost, but it wasn't quite there yet. He tapped his foot against the floor.  
"Refresh it, then." Though Kylo didn't respond, Hux recognized the silence as an agreement that any interest was mutual. Kylo seemed to accept that.  
Though the turn of event wasn't really expected, Hux could get used to the less menacing Kylo occasionally occupying his mind. In several ways, maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> May be continued in some short epilogue???? It depends really I don't feel like I got what I wanted out of this at all so if I'm in the mood I'll write more


End file.
